Abstract
Although the immediate crisis of COVID-19 has passed, its long-term effects continue to influence students’ academic performance, psychological wellbeing and cognitive functioning. This study examines the relationship between academic anxiety, ADHD-related attentional difficulties, absent-mindedness and pandemic-induced disruptions to educational environments. Guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, the study adopts a conceptual and analytical approach to explore how students cognitively appraise academic stressors and utilize coping strategies across personal, interpersonal and environmental dimensions. The analysis indicates that the sudden transition to virtual and blended learning significantly disrupted academic routines, reduced structured learning opportunities and limited social and classroom interaction. These changes contributed to increased academic anxiety, reduced motivation and engagement and greater attention-related challenges, including forgetfulness, distraction and difficulty sustaining concentration. Students with pre-existing attentional vulnerabilities were particularly susceptible to these negative outcomes. However, the findings also highlight that adaptive coping mechanisms, such as strong social support systems, structured learning environments and access to psychological and academic support resources, played a critical role in promoting resilience and academic adjustment. The study underscores the importance of developing supportive post- pandemic educational frameworks that prioritize students’ psychological wellbeing, strengthen coping capacities and foster stable and engaging learning environments to enhance academic success and long-term educational recovery.
Keywords: Absent-mindedness, Academic Anxiety, ADHD, COVID-19, Intervention, Transactional Stress and Coping Model.